AUTHOR’S NOTE: Although it is usually the domain of psychic mediums, contacting ancestral spirits via tarot reading is a popular topic of discussion in the online community that often generates requests for suitable spreads.

I’ve created a few such arrays in the past, but I’m on the fence about the subject. Humans in primordial times gravitated toward crude religious supplication out of an abiding fear of the unknown, reinforcing the premise with mystical visions and supernatural experiences that may have been as much evidence of irrational self-projection on the part of believers as of Divinely-inspired epiphany. There is every reason to believe that the concept of life after, before and apart from corporeal existence arose from the same imaginative suppositions. I tend to think “Show me the money!” but, lacking reliable proof either way, I’m inclined to suspend my disbelief and give it the benefit of the doubt. I recall a college professor and ordained minister throwing his version of “Pascal’s Wager” at the class: “It’s safer to believe in a God when there isn’t one than to disbelieve when there is,” or as God said to Abraham in the old Bob Dylan song, “The next time you see me coming, you better run.”

On one of the tarot forums we were discussing the use of trumps-only and pips-only spreads while acknowledging that “all-court-card” readings aren’t of much value because they’re too thin or one-dimensional. But here I’m applying the concept as a way to seek information from unspecified ancestors regarding clandestine caches of wisdom and guidance that we want to uncover (basically what tarot already does without discarnate help, but where’s the magic in that?). It could be a family-history-related matter or one specific to our present and future circumstances that those on the “other side” would be privy to because they are more far-seeing than we are in our physical bodies. The usual “psychic self-defense” measures (grounding, invocation, etc) should be administered when attempting this dialogue since we can never be entirely sure who (or what) is answering our call.

Remove the sixteen court cards from a tarot deck, shuffle them while concentrating on forming a contact, then deal one card into the center of the table. This is intended to open an “astral portal” to someone from our past with an inclination to communicate. (Reversals are not used in this step.) The relative age of the figure on the card must be considered, since the figure should ideally represent someone old enough to have contributed offspring to our ancestral lineage, creating an unbroken chain. Alternatively, if the individual portrayed is too young for that eventuality, it could indicate a sibling, cousin or other “blood relative” of a direct ancestor.

After receiving a credible impression of whom you’re talking to, shuffle the rest of the cards while focusing on what you want to know, and deal three-to-five cards (depending on how much detail you’re seeking), left-to-right in a line leading from the “ancestor” card. Reversals may be used to show vague or oblique replies, since not all spirits who respond will be equally “tuned-in” to our ancestral background, or may not have immediate access to those “in-the-know” who have moved beyond the threshold and have no reason to be lurking there. (I’m not one who believes that spirits are sitting around idly waiting to be invited to a parley; they entertain our request at their pleasure, not ours.) Reversed cards can also convey “privileged information” that should not be shared.

Read these cards as a message from the Astral Plane bearing observations and advice for our contemplation and possible follow-up. Here is an example reading to illustrate the process.

The spirit agreeing to engage in the dialogue was a mature male of substantial gravity and authority, very possibly my maternal grandfather, whom I knew quite well. He was a steady-going, determined (“bulldog” comes to mind) and not-particularly-forgiving Canadian Irishman who’s stark promise to those who offended him was “I’ll never darken your door again!” As a physical specimen, he fit the description of the Knight of Disks with remarkable fidelity.

The question posed was whether I’m on the right track in dealing with a matter of breached trust.

With the reversed Empress and Emperor, the commentary centered on withholding “aid and comfort” from the source of aggravation. These are not conciliatory cards when reversed; someone I knew online once called the reversed Empress a “royal bitch,” and the Emperor is her equally implacable consort.

The advice of the 2 of Swords is to stand fast and don’t waver in my resolve until the point has been made and understood. There is sense of stern dismissal about this card, and there is nothing to be gained by engaging more vigorously. The recommendation seems to support staying the course with my current plan.